Understanding Radical Prostatectomy: Risks, Recovery, and What to Expect

Prostate surgery is the most common treatment option for prostate cancer. Although the negative side effects are usually temporary, patients should be aware of the risks.

The Facts

• There are two types of prostate surgery---radical and laparoscopic. While both remove the prostate gland, radical surgery does so by a large incision between the scrotum and the rectum. Laparoscopic prostatectomy removes the entire prostate gland and the seminal vesicles through tiny incisions.

Advantages

• Surgery is a one-time procedure that may cure localized prostate cancer in earlier stages. Unlike radiation, surgery offers patients a sense of relief knowing that the cancer has been removed.

Urinary and Bowel Problems

• Eight percent of patients report long-term urinary incontinence, notes by Dr. Peter T. Scardino, chairman of the Department of Urology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Bowel movement irregularity may be an initial side effect.

Sexual Side Effects

• According to Scardino, 85 percent of men recover erections. Once the prostate gland is removed, no seminal fluid will be released during ejaculation.

Warning

• Cancer center data suggests men under the age of 65 have a one in 1,000 risk of death from undergoing a radical prostatectomy, says Scardino, while the mortality rate for patients ages 65 to 79 is one in 200.